We’ve all been there. You schedule an initial appointment with a potential client who seems ideal for you. You just know that you can help that person get where he or she wants to go — and enjoy doing it.

To make time for the appointment, you push off other commitments, even paid work or time with your children. You have a vision of your successful meeting and you may even drive across town. But then the person cancels at the last minute or doesn’t even show up.

Not only did you miss out on a new client, but you lost precious time with your children or income you could have had.

Luckily, there is a very simple way to ensure that rarely happens again.

All you have to do is set what I call a “hook.”

A hook is necessary because, let’s face it, we’re all busy. We’ve all made appointments, and then later questioned whether that appointment would be the best use of our time. When your prospects ask themselves that question, your hook increases the odds that their answer is a big, “YES! This appointment is worth my time.”

Setting the hook is easy. Here’s how you do it:

1. When you’re making your initial appointment with your prospects, you want to offer a gift or something that will add value to their life, some incentive for meeting with you. It must be something the prospects need or desire. That way, later, when they think about canceling, they’ll reconsider, because what you’ve offered as a gift is too valuable.

2. Your hook must be memorable. It must come easily to mind when your prospects consider not showing up. I call this “hooky.”.

For example, let’s say you’re a CPA, who prepares taxes. While you’re making an initial appointment with a potential client, you want to say something like this, “I’m really looking forward to meeting with you in person. When you come in, please bring X, because one of the things we’re going to do during our initial appointment is find out how you can save thousands of dollars right away with a special three-step process I’ll show you. Whether you become my client or not, I’m going to give you this gift at our appointment.”

Would you cancel that appointment? I sure wouldn’t! And, if you set your hook well, using those two simple tips, chances are, neither will your prospects.

I have so many more tips and strategies to share with you during my Invisible Influence, The ULTIMATE Sales Bootcamp for the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur. It’s not too late to join in the fun. In fact, when you get there, I’ll show you how to use a hook to keep people from seeking refunds of your programs and to support them in completing your programs once they register…and that, my friends, is a hook for YOU to join me!

What successful hooks have you set to support your prospects in keeping their commitments? Let me know on my blog.